Fantasy Football Blog

Injuries and suspensions for the next round of Premier League fixtures, with Arsenal's Theo Walcott a good tip to start and score against West Ham.

Walcott made a goal-scoring return to the starting XI as Arsenal thrashed Newcastle in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night.

It was his first start since recovering from a foot injury picked up in England's 3-1 win in Switzerland so expect him to get a prominent role against bottom club West Ham at the Emirates: given how they have been defending, Walcott could have a field day.

If you still had misfiring Manchester United star Wayne Rooney in your

The Fantasist's ailing season got a welcome shot in
the arm thanks to a very solid 114.5 points last weekend.

Even though the gamble to spend big bringing back Didier
Drogba did not pay off, there were good contributions all over the pitch,
especially from Manchester United's Javier Hernandez who scored a match-winning
double against Stoke.

Midfielders Florent Malouda, Samir Nasri and Rafael van der
Vaart all scored, while Jose Bosingwa's first start of the season brought a
16-point clean sheet.

Even Jerome Boateng managed to compile 9.5 despite Manchester City copping a right hammering at

There are some significant suspensions this week, so make sure you don't get caught out.

Jack Wilshere spoiled a fine performance against Birmingham with a red card in injury time, while Ivan Klasnic did the same for Bolton.

Chris Samba and Dean Whitehead are also on the outside looking in this weekend, Craig Gardner serves the last part of a three-game ban, and if you're the kind of loon who picks Karl Henry for your fantasy team, there's even more reason than usual not to.

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves could finally be in the reckoning to return to the first team this weekend, according to his surgeon.

The England utility man's first-team game-time over the past two years can be measured in seconds rather than minutes, but the specialist who has helped the 29-year-old through extensive knee problems believes that he could be in the squad to face West Brom on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson just can't seem to get a break at the moment. No sooner is star striker Fernando Torres on the verge of returning from injury than Dutch forward

Rafael van der Vaart's instant impact on the Premier League is mirrored in his performance inFantasy Football.

The Dutchman's match-winning brace against Aston Villa on Saturday benefited a third of players in the game to the tune of 30 points. He has now scored in each of his three matches at White Hart Lane, so if you also had him in your team for Fantasy Europe Cup then double kudos to you.

In a rather London-centric attack for The Fantasist, only Didier Drogba delivered value for money with his goal against Arsenal helping to earn him 22 points. Florent Malouda, Samir Nasri and Marouane

It's safe to say that Arsenal fans aren't the only ones rueing West Brom's surprise victory at the Emirates on Saturday.

Almost a quarter of players in the game - including The Fantasist - eyed defender Laurent Koscielny as nailed-on for a clean sheet, but instead the Frenchman posted minus three points as the Gunners lost 3-2, with team-mate Sebastien Squillaci faring little better.

Marouane Chamakh was picked by nearly 50 per cent of teams, but his first failure to score at home for Arsenal was reflected in his dismal 2.5-point haul.

It was another so-so round of fixtures for The Fantasist's team last weekend, as Theo Walcott (20.50) defied expectation by getting on the scoresheet again and Wayne Rooney (20.50) and Fernando Torres (21.50) both ended their respective barren runs.

Time was when Frank Lampard used to nail home from 12 yards so consistently that you could be forgiven for thinking his full name was 'Frank Lampard (pen)'.

However, following his misses in the FA Cup final and in England's pre-World Cup friendly against Japan, Lamps has brought that poor spot-kick form back with him to the Premier League.

About Fantasy Football Blog

The Fantasist is an expert, no, a guru, in all things Fantasy Football. It will dispense its wisdom throughout the season, unravelling the great mysteries of our time. Conundrums like "Aaron Hughes or Stephen Warnock?' and 'Where does Matty Taylor get all those points from?' During the barren summer months, The Fantasist satisfies its gaming needs by losing a small fortune at its local bingo hall. Consequently, it has a lot riding on Eurosport-Yahoo!'s £5 entry, winner-takes-all office league this season.